Baseball batting training device

ABSTRACT

A training device for baseball batting is described. The training device includes an upper rail and a lower rail supported in fixed relationship to each other by a plurality of rail supports. A plurality of legs support the rails and rail supports at a height above the ground that allows a batter to swing a bat between the rails using a natural batting swing. A plurality of resistance members are disposed between the rails to provide resistance as a batter swings the bat along a swing path between the rails.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the training of athletes, and particularly tothe training of baseball batters.

BACKGROUND

Baseball batting is a skill that requires agility, hand-eye coordinationand strength. A player's ability to contact the ball and put it in playdepends in large part on agility and hand-eye coordination.Conventionally, a player improves his or her skills by participating inbatting practice or by performing dedicated agility exercises. Suchactivities can help the player develop the ability to hit the ballsquarely and with the “sweet” part of the bat.

Once a batter has successfully put a ball into play, what becomes of theplay often depends on the strength of the batter. For example, when aball is hit squarely, strength can mean the difference between a homerun and a fly-out or between a line drive base hit and a weak groundball. Therefore, baseball batters often strive to become stronger.

In the past, baseball players engaged in traditional weight training tobuild strength. Such training could involve free weights, bench pressingmachines or other gym equipment. However, traditional weight trainingdoes not specifically target the muscles or body tissues used inbatting. Nor does it provide much help in developing agility or hand-eyecoordination.

What is needed is a training device that will enable baseball players todevelop the specific muscles using in batting. Such a device that would,at the same time, also help develop the agility and hand-eyecoordination a batter requires is also needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device for baseball batting training. Thetraining device includes an upper rail and a lower rail supported infixed relationship to each other by a plurality of rail supports. Aplurality of legs support the rails and rail supports at a height abovethe ground that allows a batter to swing a bat between the rails using anatural batting swing. A plurality of resistance members are disposedbetween the rails to provide resistance as the batter swings the batthrough the swing path between the rails.

In some embodiments, the rail supports maintain a pair of arcuate railsin substantially parallel relationship. The resistance members can be inthe form of a plurality of gates extending between the substantiallyparallel rails, where the gates include a resiliently flexible upperportion engaged with the upper rail and a resiliently flexible lowerportion engaged with the lower rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in thedrawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, thatthis invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the outside and top of a baseballbatting training device according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a resistance member of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the outside of the device of FIG. 1 in aninclined position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that the following description is intended torefer to specific embodiments of the invention selected for illustrationin the drawings and is not intended to define or limit the invention,other than in the appended claim.

In the figures, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements,there is shown a preferred embodiment of a training device 10. Thetraining device 10 can include a pair of substantially parallel rails,shown as an upper rail 12 and a lower rail 14. As used herein, the termsubstantially parallel rails means two or more elongated members,whether straight or curved, that are substantially the same distanceapart along most of their lengths. The distance between the rails can beselected so that a batter can swing a bat through the device, asdescribed in more detail below, without fear of striking the rails, andto establish an appropriate space to install resistance member, alsodescribed below. It is contemplated that a distance between the rails ofabout 55 cm (about 22 inches) is suitable. The upper rail 12 and thelower rail 14 can be flexible in a horizontal plane so that the railscan be adjusted from a straight configuration to arcuate configurationshaving infinitely selectable centers of curvature.

The rails 12, 14 can be supported in substantially parallel arrangementby two or more rail supports. The rail supports can be open railsupports, such as C-shaped brackets 16A, 16B and 16C. The C-shapedbrackets can be arranged such that they have open aspects orientedtoward the center of curvature of the rails when the rails are arrangedarcuately. The open aspects of the C-shaped brackets (or other opensupport) define the inside of the training device 10, while the closedaspects of the C-shaped brackets define the outside of the trainingdevice 10. The C-shaped brackets can be adequately deep to swing a batthrough the open bracket without fear of striking the bracket. It iscontemplated that a bracket opening depth of about 60 cm (about 24inches) is suitable.

A plurality of resistance members are disposed between the upper rail 12and the lower rail 14. Each resistance member can be in the form of agate 18 having a resiliently flexible upper portion 20 engaged with theupper rail 12 and a resiliently flexible lower portion 22 engaged withthe lower rail 14. The upper portions 20 and lower portions 22 caninclude rail engaging members, such as posts 24. The posts 24 can extendthrough orifices in the upper or lower rails 12, 14. The ends of theposts 24 can be threaded so as to receive a nut (not shown) to securelyengage the gates 18 with the rails 12, 14. Alternatively, the posts 24can include grooves, orifices or other structures for receiving clips,pins or the like. In another alternative form, the posts 24 are smooth,to facilitate easy molding of the portions. In that case, self tappingnuts, clamps or the like can engage the posts 24 to securely engage thegates 20. The configuration and operation of the gates 18 are describedin more detail below with respect to FIG. 3.

The open rail supports can be supported above the ground by verticalsupports. The vertical supports can support the open rail supportsdirectly or indirectly, such as by a connection with one or more of therails. The vertical supports can be telescoping legs 26A, 26B and 26Cand can include stabilizing feet. The telescoping legs can be uniformlyadjusted so as to position the open rail supports, rails and associatedresistance members at a height above the ground that allows a batter toswing a bat between the rails using a natural swing. The distance can beselected based on the height of the batter to be trained and thecharacteristics of the batter's swing. A typical batter to be trainedmay desire to have the lower rail 14 of the device about 90 cm (about 3feet) above the ground. The telescoping legs can also be adjusted in anon-uniform manner to incline the substantially parallel rails, asdiscussed below with respect to FIG. 4.

The open rail supports include rail receiving members adjacent the openaspects for securely receiving the pair of substantially parallel rails.The rail receiving members at the top of the open rail supports can beclamps 28 hingedly engaged with the ends of the C-shaped brackets 16.Each clamp 28 can rotate about a horizontal hinge pin 30 (obscured fromview by rail 12 at the top of the open rail support, but shown adjacentthe bottom of the open rail support where rail 14 is received). Thehinge pin permits the clamp 28 to swing into engagement with a clampreceiving tab 32 disposed at the end of the C-shaped supports 16. Afastener, such as a bolt and nut, can be placed through orifices in thehinged clamp 28 and clamp receiving tab 32 and tightened to retain therail 12 once engaged with the rail receiving members. Other fasteners,such as clamps, pins, straps, mating tabs and slots, or other knownfastening or locking devices can also be used. Alternatively, the railreceiving members can be made of unitary construction with the C-shapedclamps 16. Embodiments of unitary construction can be flexed to engagethe rails 12, 14 and then tightened using any of the means describedabove to securely retain the rails. Each clamp 28 can instead be adistinct part that can be independently fastened to the end of theC-shaped bracket 16 above and below each rail.

The rail receiving members at the bottom of the open rail support can besimilar to that at the top. If a hinged clamp is used, the clamp andclamp receiving tab can be offset from the vertical plane of the openrail support so as not interfere with the portion of the open railsupport adjacent the vertical leg 26. Otherwise, a threaded or smoothorifice can be provided through the adjacent portion, through which afastener can be inserted and tightened to retain the rail 14.

In use, a batter to be trained can stand facing the inside of thetraining device 10 and can swing a bat 34 through the device 10. For aright handed batter, the path of the head of the bat 34 can proceedthrough the C-shaped support 16A, and impinge upon and proceed throughthe resistance members sequentially, ultimately passing through theC-shaped supports 16B and 16C and all of the resistance members. Asshown in FIG. 1, the bat 34 has passed through three of the gates 18 andis impinging upon a fourth. As the bat 34 strikes each gate 18, theupper portion 20 and lower portion 22 each flex in the direction of theswing under the influence of the bat. The flexing of the gate portionsseparates the gate portions until an opening is created through the gateto allow the bat to proceed therethrough. Once the bat has passedthrough the gate, the upper 20 and lower 22 portions each canresiliently flex back to the closed position.

As noted above, the substantially parallel rails can be adjustable so asto form arcs having infinitely selectable centers of curvature. As shownin FIG. 2, the rail 12 can be provided with slots 36 along the insideedge to facilitate flexation. The slots 36 can include expanded innerportions to further enhance the flexibility of the rail 12. The lowerrail 14 can be the same or similar. The flexibility of the rails 12, 14allow the device 10 to be adjusted based on the individual swing of thebatter to be trained. For example, a batter with short arms may have aswing that passes the bat head through an arc of greater curvature thanthat of a batter with longer arms. The length of the bat can also be afactor in determining the path of the bat head. The curvature of therails 12, 14 can be adjusted infinitely to accommodate a swing of almostany batter.

A locking band 38 can be provided in association with one or both of therails 12, 14. The locking band 38 can be a thin flexible band of, forexample, steel, and can be of the same height or different height as therail with which it is associated. The locking band 38 can be juxtaposedwith the inside or outside surface of the rail, or can be adjacent theinside or outside surface in a groove provided in the rail. In any ofthese configurations, the locking band 38 can be received by the railreceiving members of the open supports along with the rails. When therails 12, 14 have been adjusted to the desired curvature, the clamps 28can be tightened to fix the locking band 38 with respect to the rail 12.With the locking band 38 fixed relative to the rail 12 adjacent the openaspects of the open rail supports, the locking band resists any tendencyof the rail 12 to return to an unflexed position or assume a more flexedposition, thereby locking the rail 12 in the shape of an arc having theselected center of curvature. The rail 14 can be provided with a similarlocking band.

An embodiment of a resistance gate 18 is shown in more detail in FIG. 3.The resistance gate 18 can be formed by injection molding a resilientlyflexible plastic material, such as high density polyethylene orpolypropylene. The upper portion 20 and lower portion 22 of theresistance gate can include thinned regions 40, 42, respectively, forfacilitating flexing of the gate portions when the bat is swung throughthe device 10. The thinned regions 40, 42 can be provided in areas ofthe gate where the bat is not expected to frequently strike. The thinnedregions 40, 42 can be narrower in width than the rest of the gate, asshown in FIG. 3, narrower in depth, both, or omitted entirely.

The interface between the upper and lower gate portions can be straightor can be of an irregular shape. The interface can include contactbetween the upper and lower portions or can include a gap in between theportions. The center of the gate 18 can include an overlapping region 44where part of the upper portion 20 extends downwardly past the top ofthe lower portion 22. In the embodiment shown, the overlapping region ischaracterized by a semicircular protrusion 46 extending from the lowerportion 22, and complimentary fingers 48 extending from the upperportion 20. Other shapes, such as a semioval-shaped, triangular orrectangular protrusion, can also be used. The semicircular protrusion 46can have a radius that approximates the radius of a baseball, which isapproximately 4 cm (about 1½ inches).

The overlapping region helps to ensure that the bat impinges upon andflexes both the upper portion 20 and lower portion 22 of the gate,thereby helping to prevent the bat from striking and over-flexing justone of the portions, which could result in premature wear or breakage ofthe portion struck. It is contemplated, however, that the gate portions20, 22 may eventually break or wear. At such time, it is possible toinstall new gates or gate portions between the rails.

It should be noted that the two portion configuration of the gates 18can help guide the bat as it is swung through the device 10. In thisrespect, the device 10 can be at least partially self-guiding. Forexample, if a batter swings the bat too high, the bat could initiallystrike only the upper portion 20 of the first gate. As the upper portion20 flexes, it assumes an average angle with respect to vertical. Theangle from vertical generally is greater for the part of the upperportion 20 that is farthest from the upper rail 12. This condition tendsto urge the bat downwardly toward the lower portion 22 as the bat isswung through the gate. Each gate encountered throughout the swing canhave a similar affect on the bat. The self-guiding effect can help thebatter develop a level swing.

Because training with the device 10 can emulate a natural batting swing,a batter can develop the specific muscles and body tissues that are usedwhen batting. If all of the gates installed between rails 12 and 14offer the same resistance and are spaced evenly along the swing path,the batter can experience substantially constant resistance through theduration of the swing. Constant resistance training may be desirable tohelp the batter develop a consistent swing with good follow-through.However, the gates 18 need not be of uniform resistance. If desired,gates of different resistance or resistance members of different typescan be installed along the swing path.

The gates 18 can be provided in a variety of different sizes and shapesfor different levels and types of hitters. A power hitter may desire totrain using gates that offer greater resistance. A finesse hitter, onthe other hand, may desire to install gates that offer less resistancein the training device 10. Gates offering even less resistance may bewell suited for little league players or beginners. Gates with thickerwidths and/or depths will generally provide greater resistance thanthose with narrower widths and/or depths. The resistance of anyparticular gate will also be dependent upon the elasticity and othercharacteristics of the material from which it is formed. Gates ofdifferent amounts of resistance can be color coded so that they can beeasily identified. For example, red, yellow and green could beindicative of high, medium and low resistance, respectively.

The gates can be of uniform length so as to fit appropriately betweenthe rails 12, 14 if the rails are arranged in a substantially parallelconfiguration. If the rails 12, 14 are about 55 cm apart, the combinedlength of the upper portion 20, lower portion 22 and any gaptherebetween can, excluding the posts 24, be about 55 cm. If it isdesired to use rails in a non-parallel configuration, such as if a trackof decreasing width is desired, open rail supports of different sizesand resistance gates of different lengths can be used.

As shown in FIG. 4, the device 10 can be inclined to allow a batter totrain using an angled or inclined swing. For a right handed batter, thedevice 10 can be inclined to train using an upwardly moving swing byextending the telescoping leg 26C further than leg 26A. Telescoping leg26B and any other intermediate legs can be extended to the appropriateintermediate degree. When positioned in the selected inclined position,the telescoping legs can be locked in place by screws, a rotationallocking mechanism or any other known method of locking telescopingdevices.

When the device 10 is inclined, the open rail supports can be angledfrom vertical or the substantially parallel rails can be angled from thenormal of the open rail supports. In the embodiment shown, the C-shapedbrackets 16 are pivotally attached to the telescoping legs 26 at pivotpoint 50. A ball pivot, an interleaf pivot, hinge or any other type ofpivotal attachment can be provided at the pivot point 50 so that eachC-shaped bracket 16 can pivot with respect to the associated telescopingleg 26 and remain normal to the inclined rails 12, 14.

A variety of modifications to the embodiments described will be apparentto those skilled in the art from the disclosure provided herein. Thus,the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly,reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to theforegoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

1. A training device for baseball batting comprising: an upper rail anda lower rail supported in selected relationship to each other by aplurality of rail supports; a plurality of legs supporting at least onerail or rail support at a height above the ground that allows a batterto swing a bat between the rails using a natural swing; and a pluralityof resistance members between the rails, each resistance member beingengaged with at least one of the rails.
 2. The training device of claim1, wherein the resistance members comprise gates, each gate comprising aresiliently flexible upper portion engaged with the upper rail, and aresiliently flexible lower portion engaged with the lower rail.
 3. Thetraining device of claim 2, wherein the rails are substantially parallelto each other.
 4. The training device of claim 3, wherein the rails areflexible in a horizontal plane so that the rails can form arcs havinginfinitely selectable centers of curvature.
 5. The training device ofclaim 4, further comprising a locking band in association with one ofthe rails, the locking band preventing the rail with which it isassociated from flexing when fixed relative to the rail at two or moreof the rail supports.
 6. The training device of claim 2, wherein thegates comprise an overlapping region where part of the upper portionextends downwardly past the top of the lower portion.
 7. The trainingdevice of claim 6, wherein one of the upper or lower portions comprisesa semicircular or semioval-shaped protrusion extending into theoverlapping region.
 8. The training device of claim 7, wherein thesemicircular or semioval-shaped protrusion has a radius approximatingthe radius of a baseball.
 9. The training device of claim 1, wherein atleast one of the plurality of legs is telescoping.
 10. The trainingdevice of claim 9, wherein the rail supports are each pivotally attachedto one of the legs at a pivot point.
 11. A baseball batter trainingdevice comprising: an arcuate upper rail disposed above an arcuate lowerrail; a plurality of rail supports, each having an open aspect thatincludes rail receiving members, the rail receiving members supportingthe upper and lower rails in substantially parallel relationship; aplurality of gates extending between the upper and lower rails, thegates comprising a resiliently flexible upper portion engaged with theupper rail and a resiliently flexible lower portion engaged with thelower rail; and a plurality of legs, each leg supporting at least onerail or rail support at a pre-selected height above the ground.
 12. Thebaseball batter training device of claim 11, wherein at least one of thelegs is telescoping such that the substantially parallel rails can beinclined with respect to the ground.
 13. The baseball batter trainingdevice of claim 12, wherein the rail supports are pivotally supported bythe legs.
 14. The baseball batter training device of claim 11, whereinthe rails are flexible in a horizontal plane so that the rails can formarcs having infinitely selectable centers of curvature.
 15. The baseballbatter training device of claim 14, further comprising a locking bandreceived by the rail receiving members, the locking band beingconcentrically arranged with one of the upper or lower rails andpreventing the associated rail from flexing when fixed relative to theassociated rail at two or more of the rail receiving members.
 16. Thebaseball batter training device of claim 11, wherein the gates comprisean overlapping region where part of the upper portion extends downwardlypast the top of the lower portion.
 17. The baseball batter trainingdevice of claim 16, wherein one of the upper or lower portions comprisesa semicircular or semioval-shaped protrusion extending into theoverlapping region.
 18. The baseball batter training device of claim 17,wherein the semicircular or semioval-shaped protrusion has a radiusapproximating the radius of a baseball.
 19. The baseball batter trainingdevice of claim 11, wherein each of the gates urges a bat being swungbetween the rails to a position about midway between the rails.
 20. Amethod of training a baseball batter comprising: swinging a baseball batalong a path between a pair of spaced apart rails; impinging the batupon a resistance member as the bat is swung along the path; flexing theresistance member to create an opening for the bat as the bat is swungalong the path; repeating the steps of impinging and flexing until thebat has proceeded through a plurality of resistance members along thepath.